


ah, here we go again!

by demonicdisco



Category: The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon)
Genre: Depictions of blood and violence, I hope I got the tags right!, M/M, Miscellanious Characters, Modern AU, Sibling Banter, Teen and up for mild language violence and cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 06:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16470491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonicdisco/pseuds/demonicdisco
Summary: Wei WuXian is a bit overzealous when it comes to trying new things, and in his haste he forgets things. Things like important items, dates and meanings.Of course, his complete disregard when it comes to listening and playing by the rules drives his brother up a wall. And yet, despite that, with the help of a certain someone, he can't help but feel like he's won.





	ah, here we go again!

**Author's Note:**

> Setting: Ambiguous City, IdkLand.
> 
> I wrote this in celebration of Wei WuXian's birthday. Happy Birthday, honey. You deserve it.

“Would you take this seriously for once?” The question was punctuated with a groan.

“I am taking it seriously, so seriously, watch!” He called out over the bass of the music. Wei WuXian cleared his throat, dropping his voice an octave. “There’s something awful in here, amongst the music. It likes to chase after party goers, resulting in eerie deaths no one can explain just as the party climaxes like the stupidest haunting of the century.”

Jiang Cheng stood there, unamused down to the core. “This is serious, we were called here because people are dying. You’re getting caught up in the scene again.” He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why did I even bring you?”

Wei WuXian let out a sigh. “I really am serious this time. I just think it sounds a bit funny that that’s what this thing does. It haunts people who have fun, how ridiculous is that?”

Even Jiang Cheng couldn’t deny that one. They were talking as close to a whisper as possible in a loud setting, and even though the party was in full swing now, there was no sign of anything. Neither of them could feel anything in the atmosphere, and although the two of them had split up on multiple occasions to scout various parts of the house, all of it seemed pointless in the end. They’d found a nice spot to watch over the main part of the party on the second floor. Jiang Cheng leaned against the railing while Wei WuXian sat on it, his legs dangling over the edge.

“As seemingly ridiculous as it is, it has killing intent and that’s a problem.” Jiang Cheng reasoned, his brows furrowed. “Isn’t this thing hungry, where is it?”

Wei WuXian placed a finger against his lip pensively, eyes lighting up. “It’s not loud enough, possibly. There’s some dancing but I don’t think it’s gotten chaotic.”

Jiang Cheng straightened out, arms crossed. “Not loud? Is this not plenty loud?”

Wei WuXian flashed him a grin, and Jiang Cheng immediately wished he hadn’t said anything by the looks of things. “I could--...”

“Wei WuXian. You’re not here to party.” Jiang Cheng hissed. “Whatever you’re thinking--”

“What? Not do it? Think of it this way, this isn’t entirely just for fun. The way I see it, parties happen all the time, and if it draws on a specific energy it would like a specific party, correct? All the parties were so loud that the only reason anyone was found was because authorities were called. This isn’t loud enough to file a noise complaint.” He reasoned before giving Jiang Cheng a few pats on his shoulder. “Let your dear brother handle this, what’s a little trouble to me.”

Resigned that he wouldn’t be getting through to him, Jiang Cheng managed a slight sneer. “Troublemaker, indeed.”

Wei WuXian couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll be relying on you to watch out for anything.”

Jiang Cheng’s face took a serious turn, almost concerningly serious. He gave him a reassuring nod and with that Wei WuXian hopped down from the railing before hopping back onto it again, this time standing atop it. The sound of his feet hitting the banister was enough to catch the attention of a few people, not many, for sure, but it was more than enough.

He grinned as wide as possible, yelling downard over the music. “Hey! Someone pass me a can!”

Someone from the crowd called back. “What? Come down and get it, you want someone to bring it up to you?”

Wei WuXian laughed, walking along the banister. “No! Toss it, friend!”

This caught attention of another person. “Eh!? Toss it? You’re gonna catch it from all the way up there?”

Wei WuXian gave an enthusiastic nod. “Of course I am, why else would I ask for you to throw it. If I couldn’t do it I’d look like an idiot.”

“Oi! Where are the drinks, that moron’s going to catch it from up there.”

“Hey! Who are you calling a moron! I can do it!” He shot back, ignoring Jiang Cheng’s snickering from the side.

The commotion drew attention from more people in the crowd, making Wei WuXian elated. Some of them were just looking up at him, whispering among each other things he could only imagine. Perhaps wondering if he really could catch something from that height or if he was just lacking in the common sense department. To an extent, both were true, but he wasn’t about to fall flat on his face in front of so many people. A potentially adoring crowd deserved more than that.

One of the people who had initially called out to him came up at an angle away from the second floor railing, a drink in his hand. “Are you sure you want this?” They called out.

He nodded eagerly. “I swear I can catch it, anyone want to make bets? Who ever loses needs to down another can with me!”

There was a cheer from the much more inebriated members of the crowd, who were ready to drink themselves to death already. The real victory was getting nods of approval from the more sober party members.

“Alright, friend! Catch!”

Wei WuXian bent at the knees. “Throw it as long as you can! Try to aim for these dashing features!”

That got a laugh out of them, something haughty. “Dashing?! Don’t be so self serving! Here it comes!”

The can was tossed up in the air, everything stilled until the very second that Wei WuXian caught the can flawlessly before it could hit him on the head. He could feel Jiang Cheng shake his head while the rest of the people cheered from the common area.

“We had a deal!” He cheered, opening the can. “Everyone who didn’t think I could better have a drink in their hands!”

There were some groans from several guests, but everyone did as they were told, not wanting to look bad in front of their peers. In the back of his mind, he realized it was a bit mischievous to use things like peer pressure, but it was fine. As long as he and Jiang Cheng had a hold on things, he could escalate things safely.

If escalating anything could be called safe, of course.

As soon as he saw a good amount of people finish their drinks, he called out. “Anyone want to bet on something even more impressive?!”

There was cheering mixed in with people whose eyes simply widened. The person who had tossed the drink up to him in the first place yelled back to him. “What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?”

Wei WuXian could feel Jiang Cheng’s eyes digging into his side, though he chose to ignore that small detail. “I’ll catch the next can midair!”

“You’ll die!” Someone with a relatively light voice screamed.

“Yeah! What’s the point of that?” Can-friend chimed in.

“Do you have a death wish?”

Someone much more boisterous cheered. “If you do it I’ll take your surname!”

He burst out laughing, pointing at the chandelier that hung in the middle of the room. “I’ll land there. Watch me!” Wei WuXian assured, carefully setting his now empty can on the banister.

“Now you’re going too far.” He heard Jiang Cheng murmured, aggression at the ends of his voice.

Wei WuXian waved him off. “Remember me as I lived if that's the case.”

He barked out a laugh. “You mean as an idiot?”

Sensing that he wasn’t really going to win, he just stifled a laugh and turned his attention back down. That same party goer had another can ready, the music was getting louder. There was cheering as he readied himself, balancing delicately along the edge like a balance beam. Footsteps light, he paid attention to how loud the cheering was and deciding to further add fuel to the fire.

“The louder everyone cheers, the more likely I’ll make it!”

Drunk people sure were useful, weren’t they, he thought as the whistling and cheers increased.

He could see Jiang Cheng’s patience wear just a bit thinner out of the corner of his eye. Still, he remained there, watching over everything, but his eyes spoke volumes when it came to how much he regret taking this job.

“Ready!?” Can-friend yelled.

“Yep!” Wei WuXian answered with a salute.

It wasn’t tricky to time, at least. Wei WuXian didn’t mind not having a running jump, throwing himself in the direction of the massive chandelier. The can came up just as he was falling toward it, and he managed to just reach it as he used his free hand grab onto one of the intricate light fixtures. The chandelier swung forward as he grabbed onto it, making everyone pause for a second until it settled.

Exerting a massive amount of physical strength, Wei WuXian feigned a grin, managing to pop the can open with one hand while resting the can against his thigh. He tipped it and drank until there was nothing left, raising the empty can proudly for everyone to see. The room exploded as he held on, propelling more people into a drinking binge. The sound was chaotic, people cheering, the music turned up to celebrate. His expression brightened even further if that was possible, knowing full well that there'd absolutely be some kind of intervention soon. Demonic or otherwise.

Wei WuXian couldn’t turn around easily, but he managed to catch Jiang Cheng’s eyes widening while he tried to. The surprising part was that it wasn’t in his direction, it was in the direction of one of the doors leading into the hallway adjacent to the common area. Just as he focused on that hallway, a shadow darted quickly further in. He’d only caught a glimpse, but it was enough to tell him that whatever it was didn’t move like a person did. A person wouldn’t need to run from them, especially considering no one at the party should’ve known what they were here for.

As though he noticed him paying attention, Jiang Cheng whistled for Wei WuXian to turn around as best as he could. He made silent gestures about what they had both just seen. With a nod, Wei WuXian looked around, trying to find a way he could get down safely. He noticed a spot on the couch was unoccupied a fair ways below him, so he let go landing as safe as he could on the cushions.

Leaving the empty can on the couch cushions, the hardest part was getting through the dancing crowd on his way to the hallway. There was no use being too quiet when the whole place was loud, but it wasn’t stealth that was the problem entirely. They still weren’t entirely sure what they were dealing with.

As he neared Jiang Cheng, who stood in the entrance to the hallway, he fiddled with his phone a bit.

“What are you doing now?” He asked, eyes narrowed.

Wei WuXian looked up at him, shoving his phone back in his pocket. “Nothing, nothing. So you saw it go down here?”

“You did too.” Jiang Cheng clarified, looking troubled. “I saw something go down here, what that something is, I didn’t get a good look.”

“I only saw a shadow.” Wei WuXian explained, moving past him, trying to listen in. “This place has too many rooms.”

Jiang Cheng looked around, hovering before leaning in toward Wei WuXian, speaking quietly into his ear. “We’re going to not do what happened last time and actually plan what we’re going to do instead of you rushing in.”

Wei WuXian sighed. “It only happened once and it was because someone was in trouble. You know that. Do you have a plan then?”

“I do, but it looks like you want to talk, unfortunately.”

He looked on sheepishly. “I have something I want to try out, alright? Sue me.”

Jiang Cheng gave him a annoyed glare. “So what we’re actually going to do, is we’re going to listen in through the doors and see if we hear anything suspicious. Reports say it sounds like thumping against the walls and if you’re unlucky, you hear screaming along with it.”

“There are other things that sound like that that have to do with bedrooms though.” Wei WuXian mumbled. “Anyway, okay. That sounds like a good idea, it’s not super hard to be stealthy in a noisy environment as it is. Checking rooms would cause noise if we run into anyone that didn’t necessarily want us to open the door, though.”

“Wow, we’re in agreement for once. What a day.” Jiang Cheng remarked, then added. “I’m not a big fan of entering people’s rooms, but I don’t see another way.”

“And we weren’t give keys right?”

“Nope. I requested them but the owners were a bit reluctant. Stupid, if you ask me.”

Wei WuXian raised a brow. “Don’t they want us to solve this ahead of time so that they can feel at ease about some big thing?”

“Big party. They found out their kid was gonna host something and used it as bait essentially.” Jiang Cheng continued.

“But no keys?”

“Nope.” He reiterated.

Wei WuXian gave him a bored expression. “That’s...not very bright. Why make our job harder for us?”

Jiang Cheng’s shoulders slacked a bit, appearing unwilling to continue the conversation any further for the sake of his patience. “--Anyway, we’ll split up. Since we’re in the same hall, if anything happens, we’ll both see or hear it.”

Excitement returning, Wei WuXian nodded. “I’ll start at the end of the hall.” He added, promptly making his way to the door on the far end.

It was hard to hear anything, he knew, what with the music being so loud. Knocks were discernible from the boom of the speakers but it was hard to tell if anyone was in the room just through the door. Evil beings had a habit of being noisy, at least.

After pressing his ear to the first door yielded nothing, Wei WuXian lowered himself to the floor, trying to see if he could see anything through the crack. Producing nothing afterwards, he walked slowly onto the next door.

He reached a hand into his jacket, pulling his flute out from the secret pocket he had made. Wei WuXian didn’t need it yet, but figured that he could benefit from being ready as he put his head against the door. He listened in carefully before deciding that nothing could be heard by ears or felt at the tips of his fingers.

On the third door, the story was a little different. Across from him, one of the doors Jiang Cheng touched opened, prompting him to go inside instead of investigating from the outside. Wei WuXian watched briefly before turning his attention back to what the door in question. His eyes narrowed, hearing a dull groaning coming from inside. He could feel something moving furniture under his fingertips, lips pursed before he stood up.

He pulled his phone back out, typing into it and sending a message. With that done, Wei WuXian put it away readied himself, lifting a leg and giving the door a hard kick. Shabbily put together locks gave way, throwing the door open. It gave him a chance to run in, tossing caution to the wind.

There was quite a sorry sight there to greet him when he got a chance to take it in. There was a mess on the mattress, sinew and bone splattered around the center with the poor bastard at the heart of the mess. Their mouth was open, and so was their throat, blood bubbling as it came beyond the their newly made orifice, eyes open wide. And whatever caused it? Hovering above them, looking at him with two empty white eyes.

For a second he wondered if maybe he shouldn’t have kicked the door down to hide the mess in case anyone else came by. In the end he shrugged, holding his flute tightly. Despite it’s attention being elsewhere, it was still chewing whatever bits of muscle it had taken a liking to.

Wei WuXian let out a sigh, raising his flute to his lips. What he was about to attempt was something he’d never tried, but as the notes played, it drew attention to him he realized. His eyes drifted toward the still body on the bed, apologizing mentally before turning back in time to notice the creature getting off the bed and making a lunge.

He moved out of the way, eyes narrowing as he continued to play. Wei WuXian wasn’t even sure what he was attempting to do here. Lure it? Control it? Whatever it was, it seemed to be working after the initial lunge. Even over the sound of the music, it inched forward step by step as Wei WuXian felt his back press against the window.

Jiang Cheng passed by the door way on his way to his next door, distress appearing on his face. Wei WuXian shook his head to the best of his ability, trying to shove the window open with his shoulder while Jiang Cheng inched closer, slowly.

Once the window slid open he turned and jumped out of it, landing in the yard. Wei WuXian scrambled, turning on his heel and continuing to play, grateful for the absence of people in the small yard he landed in.

The wind mussed his hair up as he waited for the foul looking thing to reach beyond the window, bloodied jaw snapping open and shut. He kept playing until it managed to slide over and out of the window, landing heavy on the grass. He continued to play while he caught sight of Jiang Cheng running for the window. He altered the way his breath passed over the flute, creating a really shrill noise.

Jiang Cheng’s expression took a sour turn, almost as though his eyes were screaming for him to switch to his sword already. Especially now that the shriek of the flute prompted the thing ahead of him to roar loudly. Wei WuXian winced inwardly, ready to move out of the way if needed.

Except, his eyes landed on another window, and the people beyond it. Wide eyes and screams he couldn’t hear. He could spot people running past the windows, screaming out into the front lawn. It’s head turned in that direction, prompting Wei WuXian to play more frantically.

Jiang Cheng had ‘zidian’ out already, whipping it forward and slamming the thing in question into the ground. It was probably an attempt to reduce the amount of people that had already seen this thing, reduce the amount of panic. There was also that small detail he had spared Jiang Cheng from knowing before he’d come over as well...

Just as he was readying to switch from his flute to his sword for combat, something darted in Wei WuXian’s peripheral. He turned in time to see someone he hadn’t really expected would show up after a few texts. Wei WuXian couldn’t help but grin.

With a few notes from his guqin, Lan WangJi had it in pieces on the ground. He landed gracefully near the small crater he had created, carefully putting his instrument away.

Jiang Cheng looked on, stunned. “Lan WangJi?”

“Lan Zhan! You actually came! I was starting to think you wouldn’t make it in time.” Wei WuXian said with a laugh. “You even remembered what I told you.”

“--Why?”

Lan WangJi reached into the bag that hung at his side, fishing around before pulling out a few pouches. He held them out for both of them to see. “I was asked if I had these.”

“Don’t...don’t tell me.” Jiang Cheng’s voice strained slightly. “I told you to bring them, I told you at least an hour before you were supposed to come over.”

Wei WuXian inched closer to Lan WangJi. For protection. Because sometimes it was safer to put a wall between Jiang Cheng and himself. “It slipped my mind, so I figured, if Lan Zhan is around he’d probably have some. Which he did so see, it all worked out! No need to be so mad!”

Seeming uninterested in the blood that boiled between the two of them, Lan WangJi took the liberty of activating the power within the pouches. He motioned to put the corpse away for transport on their behalf. Afterward, he gave Wei WuXian a quick glance before turning away, handing the pouches to Jiang Cheng personally.

Wei WuXian sighed, feeling defeated somehow.

Jiang Cheng pressed hand against his forehead, looking absolutely tortured. Eventually, he managed to collect himself long enough to look at Lan WangJi. “Thank you for coming to cover for this moron. I apologize on his behalf as well for being such an idiot.”

“Hey!”

Once his attention turned to Wei WuXian, all the kindness drained out of his face. “I’m going to make a call.” He announced with a scoff.

Wei WuXian inched forward, coming out from around Lan WangJi, giving Jiang Cheng’s arm a slight shove. “Come on, it all worked out Jiang Cheng.”

“Except, people saw. A lot of them actually.” He shot back, rubbing his eyes in exasperation. “And in case that little detail slipped your mind, they shouldn’t have!”

Wei WuXian shrugged. “It’s not like it’ll all be believed, it sounds a bit outlandish.”

“That’s not the point!” He seethed. “We weren’t supposed to let anyone see.”

“It’s a party, Jiang Chang, the odds were slim. I’m completely sure more people ran than stayed behind to watch.”

“There’s literally a fucking body in someone’s bedroom.” He ended up giving Wei WuXian a shove. “And on top of that, you were doing weird things with your flute again. You nearly broke my ears and you managed to pissed it off.”

He couldn’t help the pout, looking back at Lan WangJi. He was still giving him that look, a look that read that he wasn’t in the right. It made him huff. “I needed a signal for him,” He gestured with a thumb, “--to come in. Come on Jiang Cheng, give your dear brother a pass.”

“Dear brother my ass, I’d rather break my own leg than call you that seriously.” Jiang Cheng pulled out his phone. “I’ll go make that call now so I can take care of this. Go die in a ditch somewhere in the meantime.”

Wei WuXian’s shoulders slacked in an exaggerated manner before he turned around to look at Lan WangJi. “Psst. Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan.”

“Mm?”

“Let’s go somewhere. I know it’s past your bedtime, but come on.” He hummed.

Lan WangJi’s gaze turned toward Jiang Cheng, who had made his way to the other side of the small yard space, phone at his ear. Wei WuXian followed his line of sight before laughing, giving him a wave of his hand. “He doesn’t want to look at me right now, he’ll get over it. So it’s okay to leave him, if that’s what you’re worried about--don’t look at me like that, it’s absolutely fine. Watch.”

He puffed out his chest comically, cupping his face. “Jiang Cheng! I’m leaving, I’ll meet you back home!”

Jiang Cheng looked at him in disgust, he covered the receiver as he yelled back. “Didn’t I tell you to go die somewhere?!”

Wei WuXian waved at him, grinning. “See? It’s no problem.”

Lan WangJi sighed. “Where are we going?”

He took a second to put his flute away back in it’s special pocket, turning back toward the fence. “There’s a take out spot not far from here if we walk, I’ll snag something for Jiang Cheng to appease him and you can accompany me.”

The fact he looked like he was seriously wondering if that was a good idea took the wind out of Wei WuXian’s sails. “It’ll be fun, come on!”

Before really giving a chance to let Lan WangJi respond properly, he made a running start for the fence, hopping over it. “Come on!”

He half expected to see him hop over and go in the opposite direction, but a smile couldn’t help form when he didn’t. Hands on his hips, he laughed as Lan WangJi came to a stop next to him.

“It’s this way.” He pointed.

The slight breeze continued to blow as they made their way further down the street. “So, were you nearby Lan Zhan?” He asked, looking up at him.

“I was heading back.” He explained simply, not offering too much more than a passing glance despite the fact they were standing next to each other.

“From something?” Wei WuXian asked.

Lan WangJi nodded. He didn’t say much usually, which was fine. Wei WuXian could talk enough for a family of five.

“Did you have a job like ours tonight?”

He got a nod for that too. “Older brother couldn’t be at two places at once.”

“Wow, aren’t you Mr. Popular, Lan Zhan.” He replied, poking a little fun.

There was a small moment of comfortable silence before Lan WangJi contributed to the conversation without any coaxing. “Your hair.”

He couldn’t help looking a little surprised. “Hm? What about it?”

“It’s not up.”

A chuckle that passed through him, making his shoulders shake as he attempted to stifle it. “If you go somewhere with a lot of people, you have to look the part right? I figured I couldn’t just be lazy about it. Jiang Cheng got mad and said it’d get in my face, and sure maybe a little but I’m still here aren’t I?”

A teasing grin manifested. “What? Is it nice? Do you have something to say?”

Lan WangJi closed his eyes. He offered a shake of his head. “Just noticed, that’s all.”

That didn’t make Wei WuXian’s smile fade. “Well that’s unfortunate. I guess I’ll just have to ask the pretty neighbor if she likes it. She gives me advice sometimes when I want to look a certain way for specific events. Usually I wear what I want but looks do matter sometimes.”

Lan WangJi let out a sigh, shaking his head again as they continued down the sparsely lit street.

Breeze aside, the night was quiet now. There was the sound of sirens in the distance, though Wei WuXian didn’t feel like paying them any mind. Next to that was the gentle sounds of tree branches, rustling as the wind hit them. Stars hovered over their heads, the moonlight guiding them where streetlights couldn’t.

As his gaze dropped from the sky downward, his attention landed on the man next to him. Lan WangJi looked about the same as usual, eyes forward. The way lights hit his face highlighting his features, making it seem as though his eyes were shining. His hair also managed to bristle neatly against the wind, never getting in his face, just framing it. It was strange, Wei WuXian thought, how easy he made looking beautiful seem.

Lan WangJi noticed him looking, giving him a questioning look of his own to which Wei WuXian managed a giggle. “Nothing. Nothing.” He assured, turning forward. “Oh! It’s over there, look!”

It was a small hole in the wall sort of place, a string of lights hanging above a shoddily made cover. It wasn’t far from their place, and with how late they worked at times, it was easy to develop a habit of coming around. Normally, they’d stop by and sit on less than comfortable chairs, Wei WuXian would chat up the cooks while Jiang Cheng would scoff and shove at his arm to get him to shut up.

Suddenly, he hopped a little ahead of Lan WangJi. “Hey, Lan Zhan.”

“Mm?”

“Have you ever been here?” He inquired, pointing ahead.

“No, never.” He answered.

Wei WuXian gave an exaggerated shake of his head. “That’s unfortunate. It’s actually really good. We’re not going to eat, but next time if you get a chance, you should order the special. You won’t regret it.”

As they came up to the food stop, Lan WangJi took it in. “Okay.”

“You better tell me about it! I won’t forgive you if you don’t.” He threatened playfully, wagging a finger as he lifted up the curtain with his other hand. “You first.”

Lan WangJi eyed him for a second before moving forward, Wei WuXian following eagerly ahead of him. “Uncle! Where are you? I’m here to pick up my stuff!”

“You ordered ahead of time.” There was an edge of judgement in his voice.

“What can I say? I think ahead, I like to call it being strategic.” Wei WuXian explained, coming up to the counter as someone he didn’t immediately recognize came up, holding his order.

“Wei WuXian?” He asked, squinting at the name written on the sticker.

“That’s me, Uncle not around today?” He asked, fishing his wallet out of his back pocket and pulling out the money.

“Oh! The owner. Uh, he is. He’s just taking a small break. I’m, uh, just watching things for now.” They answered reaching for the money before noticing how much Wei WuXian was actually handing him. “--That’s.”

“It’s okay. It’s just a tip, don’t worry about it.” He said with a laugh.

“O...okay. Thank you.”

Wei WuXian took the bag of food as they took the money out of his hand. He moved back toward Lan WangJi, giving him a light pat. “See, super quick. Let’s go!”

“You reap what you sow.” Lan WangJi murmured under his breath, following him out of the establishment.

“You only say that because you’re so rigid. I messed up, and I know it. I owe you a lot of thank you’s, and that’s why Jiang Cheng gets a meal on me.” Wei WuXian let out a thoughtful hum. “And you get to hang out with me in exchange for coming along! It all worked out in the end.”

Lan WangJi let out a sound, something akin to a ‘hmph’. It wasn’t harsh, and yet it managed to be devoid of amusement. Wei WuXian didn’t know how to interpret it, but figured it was better left alone. The day had gone on long enough, and even he was beginning to feel a bit on the tired side.

The two of them continued silently, walking some distance before arriving at his complex. The trek had been slower than the one they’d taken to the food stop. Wei WuXian had stopped occasionally to make sure he wasn’t truly tiring Lan WangJi out, but it was hard to tell when he held such an indifferent expression. Not a single yawn left him despite the few Wei WuXian needed to hold back.

He slowly took a few steps up, turning back to look at him from above on purpose. It was one of the few times he didn’t need to crane his head up to look at Lan WangJi. One less blow to his ego.

“I--” He started, rubbing the back of his head. “I really meant it though, thanks for coming along. And bailing me out back there.”

“Wei Ying.”

The use of his name brought him to attention. “Hm?”

He took one step, foot coming to rest on the bottom step. It looked like he was trying to find words, letting a soft breath leave his lips. “Be careful.”

What was it about Lan WangJi and saying things that made him fluster inwardly? “I will. I will. You don’t need to tell me twice.” Wei WuXian finally answered, waving it off and looking the other way.

The two of them stood there for a second without speaking before Lan WangJi’s eyes widened. “Wait.”

He pulled his bag in front of him, opening it and sifting through it. Wei WuXian looked on curiously, head tilted to the side until he pulled a small box out. Lan WangJi walked up to the bottom of the staircase, holding out the box he cradled as though it would break.

Wei WuXian reached for it carefully. “Lan Zhan?”

“Happy Birthday, Wei Ying.” He said quietly, quelling any question Wei WuXian would’ve had. He even seemed to bristle a little where he stood. “Open it when you get inside.”

His stomach flipped, and Wei WuXian found himself fishing around for his phone to make sure. Sure enough, it was already one in the morning. A tried to reign himself in, shoving his phone away. “You give me something and then you order me around. You sure don’t know how to treat birthday boys, Lan Zhan.” Wei WuXian teased, box against his lips to hide his smile.

Lan WangJi turned his head away quickly, prompting Wei WuXian to smile. “Alright, alright. I’m sorry. Thank you, Lan Zhan.” He paused for a second, trying not to sound too hopeful. “See you later?”

Lan WangJi turned toward him, offering a noncommittal shrug as he turned and walked away. Wei WuXian stood at the door, forgetting about the food potentially getting cold, watching until he could no longer see him anymore before finally turning around and opening the door.

He walked up the stairs, and opened the door on the end. Wei WuXian let out a long sigh as he kicked his shoes off by the door, slipping into a pair of sandals before walking into the kitchen. He set the food on the counter, turning on the lights in the kitchen.

He plopped down in a kitchen chair, looking at the delicately wrapped box in his hands. Carefully, Wei WuXian gave some of the things on the table a push so he could have space to fiddle with the tape on it. A part of him didn’t want to tear up the blue wrapping too much, not when it had such eloquent designs on it. Eventually, he hooked a nail underneath the tape, pulling it off and repeating the action on the other sides until all the tape was safely removed. Slowly pulling the wrapping off, he opened the box, sifting carefully through the tissue paper to find a carefully pressed flower underneath.

Wei WuXian gently drew a finger over the ridges, admiring how nice it looked. He found himself needing to hold back a giggle.

A peony, huh?

Before he really had a chance to think about it, the sound of the door unlocking took him out of his thoughts.

“I thought I told you to go die.” Jiang Cheng rang, throwing the door closed. The lights were what gave away his presence, probably.

“I have brought a humble offering to ease your anger.” He replied, carefully closing the box and laying his head on the table in mock shame.

Jiang Cheng’s footsteps rounded the corner, and he could almost feel the roll of his eyes as he drew closer. “Why are you so annoying?”

Wei WuXian raised his head, trying and failing to hold back a grin. “Why do you ask questions like those when you know there’s no answer for them? Here, take your food or put it away.” He said, nudging at the bins with a finger.

“You’re going to knock things over doing that, quit it.” Jiang Cheng scolded, curiosity peaked enough to sift through the contents in the plastic bags. “I’m appeased. For now.”

As he picked the bags up off the table, Wei WuXian followed him. “Everything turn out okay?”

“No thanks to you.” He said with a groan, putting the food in the fridge. “But yes, everything is fine for the most part. And although you don’t necessarily deserve it, you should go to sleep now.”

“Huh? Why?”

Jiang Cheng shrugged so Wei WuXian stood up, holding the box in his hands. “Do you want to go to the bar for your birthday or not, asshole?”

Wei WuXian’s eyes lit up. “Wait? Really? You mean it?”

“Yes, yes. I mean it, even if you don’t deserve it in the slightest.” Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes again, giving him a playful shove before noticing the box in his hands. “What’s that?”

His eyes traveled downward, smoothing over the edges of the cardboard box with a thumb. Instead of telling the truth, he stifled a chuckle, reaching over and patting Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “It’s from a secret admirer. You know, what you could have if you just listened to me sometimes.”

Jiang Cheng brushed his hand off, and Wei WuXian got out of the way as he tried to swat at him. “As if anyone has time for that! Get out of here, go to sleep!” He hissed as Wei WuXian grabbed the wrapping paper off the kitchen table.

He laughed on his way into the hallway, slipping into his bedroom. Wei WuXian set the box and everything that came with it on his small nightstand. He tossed his jacket to the floor carefully, mindful of flute as he laid down. Both too wired and too tired to do anything about taking off the clothes he’d worn throughout the day, Wei WuXian instead turned his attention back to the gift Lan WangJi gave him.

Warmth pooled in his chest for some reason, he realized. Embarrassment probably, he rationalized as he reached out to touch it again. Wei WuXian drew his hand back, unable to help the way his lips curled upward as he curled into his bed, letting sleep slowly seep into his bones.

Why peony, huh?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> twt: @/ demonicdisco


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